Findings from National Changhua University of Education Yields New Findings on Acute Coronary Syndrome (Influenza vaccination and the endurance…

Heart Disease Weekly

Findings from National Changhua University of Education Yields New Findings on Acute Coronary Syndrome (Influenza vaccination and the endurance against air pollution among elderly with acute coronary syndrome)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Heart Disease Weekly -- Investigators publish new report on Heart Disorders and Diseases - Acute Coronary Syndrome. According to news reporting out of Changhua, Taiwan, by NewsRx editors, research stated, "Air pollution, weather condition and influenza are known risk factors of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) among elderly people. The influenza vaccine (IV) has been shown to reduce major cardiovascular events."

Funders for this research include Changhua Christian Hospital, Ministry of Science and Technology (see also Heart Disorders and Diseases - Acute Coronary Syndrome).

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the National Changhua University of Education, "The purpose of this study was to compare resistance to air pollution and weather factors causing ACS between vaccinated and less-vaccinated elderly people. A case-crossover design was applied to 1835 elderly ACS patients who were obtained from the 1-million sample of Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Data with inclusion criteria: (1) the first diagnosis of ACS was in cold season and at age 68 or more, (2) had received the free IV program at least once during the period 3 years before the ACS. They were stratified into two groups: 707 had received flu vaccinations for all the 3 years and the remaining 1128 had not. The measurements of air pollutants, temperature, and humidity corresponding to each of the 3 days prior to the ACS diagnosis date were retrieved from the data banks of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration and Central Weather Bureau. Increases in air pollution concentrations of CO, NO2, PM10 or PM2.5 and decreases in temperature significantly influenced the risk of ACS for the non-continuously vaccinated elderly population; however, less significant effects were observed for the continuously vaccinated population. Consecutive influenza vaccination may potentially offer resistance against the detrimental effects of air pollution and changes in temperature in frail elderly adults with ACS."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "Future studies are needed to directly assess the interaction effect between the vaccination and environmental factors on ACS."

For more information on this research see: Influenza vaccination and the endurance against air pollution among elderly with acute coronary syndrome. Vaccine, 2016;34(50):6316-6322. Vaccine can be contacted at: Elsevier Sci Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, Oxon, England. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Vaccine - www.journals.elsevier.com/vaccine/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting C.H. Huang, Natl Changhua Univ Educ, Inst Stat & Informat Sci, Changhua 500, Taiwan. Additional authors for this research include D.Y. Chao, C.C. Wu, S.Y. Hsu, M.S. Soon, C.C. Chang, C.T. Kor, W.T. Chang and I.B. Lian.

Keywords for this news article include: Changhua, Taiwan, Asia, Air Pollution, Risk and Prevention, Epidemiology, Vascular Diseases and Conditions, Heart Disorders and Diseases, Acute Coronary Syndrome, Myocardial Ischemia, Public Health, Heart Disease, Immunization, Vaccination, Cardiology, Influenza, National Changhua University of Education.